


Max's Wish

by ScribblingMama



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Episode: s01 Dislocœur | Dark Cupid, Friendship, Gen, Male Friendship, POV Max, Unrequited Crush, rewrite of old fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 18:33:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28925127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribblingMama/pseuds/ScribblingMama
Summary: Max might long for the day that his crush on Kim is reciprocated, but he also knows that all he wants is Kim safe and happy.The day Kim becomes Dark Cupid is one that Max will never forget.
Relationships: Max Kanté & Lê Chiến Kim
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Max's Wish

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite of an old fanfic I wrote in 2018 for Fluff Month. While I'm not 100% happy with it, it was nice to get back into writing after the nasty block that's been my constant shadow these last several months.

Max walked toward the waiting athlete. Anxiety oozing off Kim as he waited on the corner. 

In his hand, Max held the trinket Kim had asked him to procure for Valentine's Day.

_For Chloe._

The brooch would have looked nice on any person. Why Kim wanted that person to be Chloe was beyond Max’s comprehension. She'd been horrible to them and so many others for as long as Max could remember, unsure what Kim saw in the blonde.

Max’s musings came to a grinding halt when Kim spotted him and flashed his killer kilowatt smile. Kim’s athletic form sprinted toward him, his anxiety replaced with mounting excitement. If only that excitement could be directed toward Max, Max could possibly garner the courage he needed to say the words he’d been keeping close for so long now.

"There you are, Max! Do you have it?"

Max couldn't help but stare for a moment, losing himself in the warm gaze that belonged to Kim and Kim alone. 

Max’s hand clenched around the jeweler's box he held at his side. Oh, what he’d give to have that warm gaze on him full time.

He dealt in facts, not dreams.

Exhaling his disappointment, he spared his best friend and long-time crush a tight smile. He didn’t dare glance at the box as he extended it toward Kim, more than ready to be rid of it.

Kim didn’t hesitate, his fingers brushing Max’s palm as he retrieved the box and popped the lid to inspect the brooch hidden within the soft velvet interior.

"Oh, this is awesome. You think she'll like it?" 

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Max nodded. "The probability of her admiration is high."

Why did his voice have to be so raspy? Wasn’t he humiliated and heartsick enough in procuring the brooch in the first place? Watching Kim wooing someone else hurt more than it should, but then, what had he expected? No way could someone like Kim ever see him in that light. They were friends, and that would be fine if he didn’t have this pesky crush. What he wouldn’t give to have these feelings obliterated so he could be just friends with Kim again.

Kim’s kilowatt smile transformed into a megawatt. "Thanks, Max. I owe you one."

Closing his eyes to reduce the risk of embarrassing himself further, Max nodded and turned away. With his mission complete, there wasn’t a reason to stick around and see that smile turned on someone else.

He didn’t bother slowing his pace when Kim called after him. A small part of him acknowledged the pettiness in his refusal to risk another glance at his best friend, but he shoved it down as a greater part warned him in the danger of doing so. The probability of his heart breaking further was far too high. No, it was better to keep walking, especially when he heard the unmistakable voices of Alya and Marinette.

They’d come from the other direction, much to his relief, but their voices weren’t escapable as they commented on the brooch and encouraged Kim towards wooing his special lady. Their certainty in Kim’s success was too much.

Max picked up his pace, nearly jogging toward his home. He couldn’t wait for this day to be over. Maybe then he could be put out of his misery. Maybe then he might regain control of his spiraling crush and regain the friendship he so cherished with Kim.

Love wasn’t worth this pain.

He walked into his room, ready to drown his sorrows in his latest project. At least, he could count on science and technology to keep himself occupied. Right? No need to waste emotions when one had facts and hard truths.

* * *

Immersing himself in his homework failed spectacularly.

Annoyed at the thoughts running through his head, he huffed and gave himself a hard shake. He ran his hand over his short, tight curls and adjusted his glasses back to their proper position. Refusing to let those thoughts continue, he shoved away from his desk and strode out of his room in search of a new distraction.

He hadn’t made it to the doorway when his phone blared with an emergency alarm. A new akuma had been spotted and citizens should take shelter.

Silencing the alarm, Max retreated to his closet, sinking to the floor and closing the door. His phone dug into the palm of his hand while his thoughts raced on a new track. He secretly hoped to hear the city’s safe signal soon, to know that the heroes have once again saved the poor soul that’s been used for Hawkmoth’s illustrious purposes.

Curious who the latest victim was, he tapped on the screen of his phone until he’d opened the web browser and pulled up the Ladyblog and a few other news sources. The first few photos of the akuma were grainy and out-of-focus, but they eventually managed to capture ones with startling clarity.

Max couldn’t catch his breath as he stared at those last ones.

He’d recognize the guy beneath the latest getup anywhere. He most definitely recognized that awful brooch attached to the guy’s shoulder.

His heart squeezed painfully at the sight. It hurt to breathe.

Time ceased to exist as he watched the live footage of the battle between the heroes and Kim, or rather Dark Cupid. His breathing came back hard when he realized Chat Noir had become a minion to Dark Cupid, fighting against Ladybug and leaving her at a severe disadvantage.

He did his best to shut down the calculations already forming in his mind about her probability of success, needing her to succeed no matter what. The thought of his friend being used like this churned his stomach, wishing the heroes were closer to discovering the identity of Hawkmoth. He wanted a chance at the man. One good punch. Is that too much to ask? Probably, but he didn’t care. He’d do it if it meant avenging Kim and what’s happening right then.

That desire propelled him from the closet, restless and overwhelming. His eyes remained glued to the phone screen and the video playing on it as his feet carried him from his room to the front door of his home.

His hand grazed against the knob when Ladybug managed to gain the upper hand, bringing Chat Noir out of the spell and sent him flying toward Dark Cupid. The images blurred with the videographer’s growing excitement, shaking the footage.

When it stabilized again, Ladybug and Chat Noir completed their signature fist bump before turning back to Kim and offering him a lift home. Paris had been restored and all damage forgotten in the wake of Ladybug’s swarming cure.

Max sank onto the front steps outside his home, relief making his knees tremble. A shaky breath escaped and then another. He shut off his phone’s screen and slid the device into his pocket, grateful his hands didn’t drop it as they, too, shook.

Kim was safe.

That was all that mattered.

* * *

The sun had begun to set when Max heard the faint tapping at his bedroom door. He called out, knowing who stood on the opposite side. With a spin of his chair, he caught sight of Kim as he hesitated in the now open doorway, one hand rubbing at the back of his neck.

“I’m guessing you heard, huh?”

Max nodded, not sure if he should say anything else. Statistics and facts didn’t seem appropriate at that moment.

Kim came further into the room and dropped onto the edge of Max’s bed. His hands hid his face from view as his knees propped up his elbows. His voice was muffled as he asked, “Did you see it, too?”

“The Dark Cupid footage? Yeah, I saw it.” Max continued to watch Kim with a small frown, which deepened when Kim’s face shot up with an incredulous look. “That’s not what you’re talking about, is it?”

Kim groaned and flopped backward, his arms stretching as far as he could make them go. His hoodie rode up and exposed the thinnest band of flesh though Max quickly steered away from that. No way was he venturing into that dangerous territory when his friend needed him.

“She took a photo of me at my worst before shooting me down hard.” Another groan escaped him as he brought his hands back to his face and rubbed at his eyes. “I should go. My dad is expecting me back soon.”

While Kim pushed himself to his feet and prepared to leave the room, Max fought back a small wave of panic at seeing his friend disappear. His hand shot out and connected with Kim’s bare forearm and jerked back just as quickly.

“What’s up?” Kim asked, his brow arching slightly. “You okay?”

Max swallowed. “That new movie you mentioned is coming out this weekend. We could go see it. Get your mind off what happened today.”

“You hate those kinds of movies.”

Not sure what to say without giving himself away too much, Max settled for a shrug.

Several moments of silence passed before Kim finally broke it. “You’re on.”

With that, Kim disappeared almost as quickly as he’d come, leaving Max to wonder if he’d imagined the whole encounter. That lasted until he got a text from Kim to let him know that he got back safe and to thank him for being a good friend.

It might not be the status he really wanted in Kim’s life, but he wouldn’t complain after the day Kim had. Maybe one day, he’d find the courage to take his shot, but he’d enjoy the time he got with Kim until then.


End file.
